Noticeboard

If you require urgent medical assistance that cannot wait until the surgery re-opens, please call 111 where you will be put through to the NHS 111 helpline who will be able to assist you further

NHS111 is a free to call, non-emergency, medical helpline operating in England.

The service is part of the country’s NHS telephone and triage and advisory services

If you're feeling unwell and it can’t wait until we are open, then you can access any one of these services for help and advice. You can also get lots of health advice, including how to videos, on www.choosewellmanchester.org.uk

OUT OF HOURS INFORMATION:

If you require urgent medical assistance that cannot wait until the surgery re-opens, please call111 where you will be put through to the NHS 111 helpline who will be able to assist you further

NHS111 is a free to call, non-emergency, medical helpline operating in England. The service is part of the country’s NHS telephone and triage and advisory services.

The Choose Well website is an excellent resource which includes details of services in the area, including local pharmacies and walk-in centres, and self-care information. It provides a wealth of clear, clinically assured self-care information for patients, covering over 40 topics in 64 languages; each topic comes with a downloadable pdf leaflet to help you to self-care.www.choosewellmanchester.org.uk

Patient Access Online

If you are a registered patient of the practice an online service is available to you which is offered by our clinical computer system (EMIS) to allow you to perform certain tasks online. More information about the tasks available via this service are listed below.

If you have already registered you can sign into these services by clicking the link:

Registering for Patient Access

In order to register you will need to contact our Reception Team and they will be able to provide you with the information you require to register for online access. You will be required to attend the surgery with evidence of:

Your identity (eg. a passport)

Your address (eg. a utility bill)

The Reception Team will then be able to confirm your online access. The system allows you, once registed, to use any of the following services.

Online Appointment Booking

As a registered patient of the practice you are able to View, Book and Cancel appointments from home, work or on the move - wherever you can connect to the internet. What is more, because Patient Access is a 24 hour online service you can do this in your own time day or night. Our online appointments booking facility is available for a number of GP appointments each day. If you are unable to find a suitable online appointment then please telephone the surgery in the usual way.

Repeat Prescriptions

Patients who received regular prescriptions from the practice can request a repeat prescription from the practice by logging onto the Patient Online Access system and selecting the drugs that are required. The Doctor will review the request and will either accept or decline the request and the patient is notified.

Change your Contact Details

The system allows you to change your contact details online, so the practice always has the most up to date details for you.

Medical Records

You already have access to your summary information (allergies and immunisation history). However, in addition, from 1st April you will be able to request access to your coded medical record online. Being able to see your record online might help you to manage your medical conditions. However, there are things to consider before you apply for online access to your record. This may include forgotten history in your record that you may find upsetting, abnormal results, choosing to share your information with someone, coercion to reveal details from the patient record and misunderstood information.

If you decide not to join or wish to withdraw, this is your choice and practice staff will continue to treat you in the same way as before. This decision will not affect your quality of care.

Unfortunately it has become apparent that the Practice's computer system (EMIS) is unable to undertake the constant evaluation legally required to provide this service, at the present time, whilst ensuring that access can be given confidentially to those under the age of 18 or their proxy.

The Practice has therefore had to take the decision not to allow access to any patient under the age of 18 or their proxy until this situation is resolved by our supplier. We are very sorry if this comes as a disappointment to you however we do pride ourselves on maintaining effective access to confidential medical records for all our patients and decisions like these are only taken when we feel it is absolutely necessary to safeguard patient information. We will review this policy as we are provided with additional information and endeavour to keep patients informed of any developments.

For those over the age of 18, you will need to fill in a request form and provide the surgery with the necesary personal identification to gain access to your coded Medical Records even if you have already registered for Patient Access. Please be aware that immediate access to coded information will not be possible until your notes have been reviewed by a doctor.

You will be given login details, so you will need to think of a password which is unique to you. This will ensure that only you are able to access your record, unless you choose to share your details with a family member of carer.

Is My Information Secure?

All information that is sent to your surgery via Patient Access is secure. Your personal records are encrypted and protected using the highest standard of internet security, so that it cannot be intercepted. Only you and your GP surgery are able to see this information.

Please note that the Patient Access site is not operated by the Practice. The Practice can re-issue login and password details but, if there are other difficulties, you may wish to contact Patient Access system provider direct.

Further information is available on request from the Practice Manager.

Patient Choice

Giving people more choice is a priority of the modern NHS. This is because research in the UK and overseas has shown that treatments are more effective if patients choose, understand and control their care.

NHS doctors have a duty to inform patients about the options available and will advise you what they think is best. But it's you, the patient, who must decide whether a treatment is right for you.

The Choice Framework explains when you have a legal right to choice about treatment and care in the NHS. The legal right to choice doesn't apply to all healthcare services. However, where you do not have a legal right to choice, you should at least be offered some choices depending on what's available locally.

The Practice currently provides a 'Choose & Book' service where you, the patient, can discuss and agree where you would like to be seen or receive treatment. You may like to discuss this with either your GP or one of our medical secretaries who would be more than willing to help you. Do please ask at Reception if you require help or further information.

For those patients who are being referred for adult hearing, podiatry and musculo-skeletal problems, the Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group's website will provide you with the most up to date information regarding providers of and accessibility to this service. You can access this information by clicking here.